HIRE OHANA!! I'm typically one of those people who never writes reviews, just reads them, but these ladies deserve one and I'm excited to write one! I worked with Danielle and Jenna and they were the absolute best! First off, they're the sweetest people ever. They're so kind, fun, and easy going that it made this process so comfortable and fun. I felt like I was hanging out with friends during our timeline call :) Second, besides being amazing humans, they are so professional and excellent at what they do. Their knowledge of the industry, tips, advice, and the way they handle themselves and conduct business it top notch. The level of organization and thoughtfulness put into every aspect of the wedding planning was incredible. I had so many other vendors tell me how impressive their schedule and timeline for the day was. And the wedding day could not have gone smoother. Even guests were complimenting me on them and how great they were and how smooth everything was! If you're on the fence of hiring any sort of wedding planner or coordinator, just do it. You will not regret it. And if you need help in choosing, CHOOSE OHANA! You won't be disappointed. I love these girls and hope you do too!! read more

We used Danielle of Ohana events for our recent wedding. She was organized, detailed, worked well with our many vendors, used her experience in the business to help us with contracts, pricing, and managed the delivery of items to our venues. She set up our reception with her assistant and the caterer following our specifications, and watched for every detail to run smoothly during the event. She coordinated the clean up of our event so we didn't have to let the party come crashing down around us. We got to enjoy every minute of our guests without the worry of tasks that had to be handled throughout the weekend. We had a multi-day event with many moving parts, and we needed her talents and vision to bring it all together. I highly recommend Danielle as part of your wedding team. read more

Planning a wedding can be SO stressful- but you already know that if you're looking for a planner! Look NO FURTHER. Hire Ohana events and you will be in the best hands! Sonya Tran was our partial planner, and there is absolutely no way we could have done it all without her. Leading up to the wedding she managed all the vendor contacts, arranged a detailed timeline and was in constant communication with everyone. She shared a list of tasks my fiancé and I had to complete which was incredibly helpful- things we would have never thought about. The day of the wedding- Sonya was the real MVP. Not only did she make sure that the day flowed PERFECTLY, she handled any minor issues with grace, and adjusted timelines wherever needed. My fiancé and I didn't have to worry about a thing. We actually got to enjoy the day knowing that we had the greatest support. Sonya is an angel, so if you are looking for a planner, please reach out to this group. You will be forever thankful, and most importantly anxiety free! read more

Ohana Events - Nick and I love sonya!! - Wedding Planning Near Me

Jenna did a wonderful job helping with my daughter's wedding. We were very pleased with how it all turned out. She took a lot of the stress away from the minute details that go into planning a wedding. She was in contact with all of our vendors and helped to facilitate pulling it all together. It was great having someone there all evening to take care of getting the gift box and other items secured away. I would highly recommend using Ohana Events. read more

The best decision we made while wedding planning was hiring Ohana Events! We spent a year planning our wedding and I truly believe the reason I did not feel any stress was because of Danielle! Any question/thought/idea was answered quickly, honestly and thoroughly. Danielle was so communicative and made sure every vendor had what they needed and I was never worried something wasn't happening. Our wedding day ran so smooth and on time and I received so many compliments from guests on what a seamless day/night it was! Danielle completely captured our vision of our wedding and made it all come to life! On the wedding day, I felt so supported by Danielle and Sonya as they made sure my husband I felt comfortable, happy and stress-free. They made sure to check-in to see if we needed anything like food, a drink, and even help bustling my dress. I wish I could give more than five stars, we could not recommend Ohana Events enough! read more

I cannot express enough gratitude for how much I loved working with Ohana Events for my wedding. I worked with Danielle (the owner) and Sonya, the senior planner, for over 3 months leading up to my wedding day. Sonya is an expert in wedding planning and a fantastic day of coordinator. Leading up to the big day, Sonya was readily accessible and always available to answer any questions, iron out the timeline, coordinate with vendors, organize wedding day logistics and so much more. Not to mention, she is so personable and brings such great energy to make wedding planning a smooth and seamless experience for the bride. She paid attention to every wedding design detail when bringing my wedding day vision to a reality on the big day. She is patient and genuinely wants to support you in any way possible. My family and the bridal party still rave about how she was a total rock star and is the real-life Jennifer Lopez wedding planner! I highly recommend working with Ohana Events and can promise you will love working with Danielle and her team! read more

Using  Ohana Events was the BEST and EASIEST decision we made for our March 2020 wedding at Salvage One in Chicago. We did research on selecting a venue and date...then immediately acknowledged we needed help making the day come together.  My PSA if you're debating using a coordinator is this - If you do not want yourself or any family/ friends to worry about any detail for the wedding day....then you need a wedding coordinator...it was worth the investment.   Danielle/ Ohana Events was recommended by two (separate) friends so definitely knew we had to check out!  We had met with other planning companies but we were completely blown away with Danielle's demonstration of her industry expertise and organization!  Immediately after meeting her we knew we had to have her.  We did 'month of planning' with a few additional hours added on.  She was extremely flexible in creating a package that worked for us. Her checklist was very helpful and kept us on track with decision making. She also recommend critical vendors (ie photographers, DJ, catering, etc.) and provided honest on-going feedback.  Our vendor team was truly perfect for us and wouldn't change a thing. And finally when the big day arrived -  No one (myself, my fiance, our families) was worried about ANYTHING which is exactly what we wanted!  This day completely exceeded any expectations and went off without a hitch all because of her. She was critical during the venue walk through making sure all parties were aligned to the plan and then made sure it all happened! Looking back at the day and how perfect it was - it goes directly back to using Ohana Events.  We are forever grateful for your help in making our day so perfect. read more

The first thing you need to know about Danielle is her level of commitment to you as a client and your event. Danielle met my (then) fiancé and I for our introductory meeting at a nearby Starbucks during last year's Polar Vortex, when it was -20 degrees outside. If that doesn't prove her level of commitment, I don't know what will. Danielle was extremely friendly, welcoming and energetic about our event. She first wanted to know more about us, how we met, the proposal, and our 'vision' for the wedding, rather than immediately describing her services. When it came time to understand her process, Danielle took time to explain her experience as an events coordinator, even before launching Ohana Events, and then walked us through the various services offered within each package. We knew immediately after meeting with Danielle, that we wanted Ohana Events for our wedding. Danielle pays attention to details and reviewed every single one of our vendor contracts. She also provided a few recommendations, such as, what vendors to pursue and those we might want to reconsider. Given Danielle's growing business, she has worked with a number of venues, florists, bands, transportation companies, etc. and helped us through the decision making process for each. In that vein, Danielle caught a number of errors within multiple contracts and helped us navigate those conversations with our vendors. On the day of our wedding, Danielle was an absolute rockstar! She knew exactly where everyone was to be, at what moment and in what location. Danielle was operating at another level, committing every detail to memory; this kept us (and more importantly) our parents calm throughout the entire day. For example, when it came time to take pictures after the ceremony, Danielle commanded the room, calling out the names of friends and family who would be in the next picture; this expedited the process and allowed us to get to the reception on time. In short, our wedding weekend was executed flawlessly. No mistakes, no errors, no last minute changes...all because of Danielle. I highly recommend Danielle to anyone who desires peace of mind, appreciates attention to detail, and who wants a professional who understands how a wedding weekend should be structured and executed. When you meet with Danielle, you'll know exactly what I mean. read more

Danielle is so beyond dedicated to her brides and to making sure they have the most positive wedding planning experience. Danielle was there throughout the planning for our original wedding date, postponement of our original date, and replanning for our new/final date. She made an overwhelming process seamless with her consistent communication by phone, zoom, and email. She supported us through every obstacle when trying to navigate the world pandemic, and read through contracts to help find solutions when complications from the postponement were presented with vendors. She was ultimately our biggest cheerleader and we always felt better after talking with her. My biggest regret is not hiring Ohana Events for the full wedding planning package. I can't wait to recommend Ohana Events to all of my friends when they are ready. read more

If you are thinking of hiring Danielle or one of her associates at Ohana Events the answer is YES! DO IT! I am 100% confident that our wedding would not have been the wedding it was without Danielle. First of all, she is a very kind and supportive person. She understands how stressful wedding planning can be and she supports you through it all. She has wonderful connections within the industry to make sure you are working with vendors that fit your style and your budget. Danielle is so organized and keeps you organized as well. She is so responsive, you can email her or text her a literally any hour and she will get back to you within 24 hours and if its a "planning emergency" she will be calling you ASAP. She really makes planning a wedding an enjoyable experience. Danielle will not only flawlessly plan your wedding but she will make sure that your wedding day is absolutely a dream. There were very few issues on our wedding day because during the planning process Danielle had thought of it all, but I did have an issue with my flowers. They weren't as I envisioned them. I didn't even say a word to Danielle, but she saw the look on my face and knew I wasn't thrilled and she called the florist, had the bouquets re-created and she did it all without me ever even knowing!! She really is the total package. Danielle also coordinates everything with your family and bridal party on day of, so all you have to do is be excited about your wedding day!!! If you are looking for a planner for full planning or day of or even month of she is your girl!! read more

Wow words cannot describe how wonderful It was working with Rachel. We got married at North Fork Farm Events at Mt Si. As a bride who has been to a ton of weddings I had a lot of ideas and a vision, but working in healthcare I had no idea how to execute a large event. We did the partial planning package and it was the best decision. Rachel was excited, kind, supportive and listened to every last detail and idea. She kept my fiancé engaged and excited during long planning meetings and had THE best to do lists and schedules to keep us on track. Without her we would have never been able to timely secure vendors in the craziness of 2022 and we felt so confident that she helped us choose high quality but cost effective vendors. Rachel was prompt in all communication and available for urgent questions and checkins as needed. Day of, she took care of every little detail with calmness and genuine desire to make sure it was the best day ever. Rachel was so fun to work and i am happy to call her a friend now too! After working with Ohana for the past 10ish months it makes me emotional to think our planning is officially over, but we now have amazing memories to last a life time. Thank you Rachel and i would recommend every single future bride or groom I know to work with you!! read more

I don't even know where to begin, Ohana Events was amazing. From the very first call I felt very comfortable with them and that stayed true throughout the entire wedding planning process as well as our wedding day. I worked with Jenna Rainey as my day of planner and I could not be happier to have had her. She was extremely professional and always available when I needed her. She went above and beyond with communication, I could call her or text her with any issue from small to big and she was on top of it immediately. I am very particular, and Jenna was able to come through in every way. When I was too stressed to handle an issue with a vendor Jenna was happy to jump in and take the pressure off me, and I could not be more more grateful for that. I truly do not have enough nice things to say about working with Jenna and Ohana Events. Even if you think you have everything covered, I urge every bride to at least get a day of wedding planner so that you can truly relax on the wedding day and know that if something goes wrong there is someone overly qualified to fix it. Jenna was that person for me. Thank you Ohana Events! My wedding was a dream and you helped make that happen. read more

Having Danielle and her team work with us was truly the BEST choice we made during the entire wedding planning process. By the time our wedding day arrived in 2021, we had postponed our wedding once, then opted for a venue change. We were already so impressed by Danielle's meticulous attention to detail as she guided us through unplanned changes due to the pandemic -- but when we are decided to move our wedding from a large venue into our backyard, Danielle blew us away with her knowledge, creativity, encouragement, and consistent responsiveness to all of our questions! Danielle came out to our home multiple times to help create the most magical "venue", complete with detailed floor plans and rain back-up plan diagrams; house walk-throughs with multiple vendors; and tons of creative planning for every detail needed to turn our home into a wedding ceremony and reception site. As things came up closer to the wedding day, Danielle adapted and accommodated to whatever was needed. She communicated with all of the vendors, to keep them up to date on all changes as they happened. And she was so willing and happy to include my mom, dad, and husband in all of the planning, even though it meant many extra emails and zoom calls! On our actual wedding day, Danielle and her assistant Sonya (who was incredible!!) seamlessly guided us through the most magical day of our lives. They had every detail in place and we were able to relax and enjoy every moment. Although they were "working", it was clear Danielle and Sonya were so excited for us too-- so friendly, engaged, accommodating and helpful to all our guests. They were having a great time at our wedding, which made us so happy! There were some surprises that my husband had planned that Danielle had helped him coordinate, unbeknownst to me... She even had created a "secret wedding timeline" to help him pull off the magical surprise! Danielle & Sonya even baked pizzas in our kitchen to serve to our guests as late night snack! Throughout every moment of working with Danielle, she went "above and beyond". Her detailed emails, her consistent timeliness of responses to questions, her expert recommendations.... Her engagement with working with not just me, but my mom, dad, and husband over many months leading up to our wedding ... and her amazing work on our actual wedding day-- it all added up to the fact that having Danielle and her team work with us was truly the BEST choice we made during the entire wedding planning process. I cannot recommend Danielle and her team highly enough-- and my husband, parents, and family are all in agreement! We all loved having her be a huge part of the most important event of our lives, and are forever grateful for her expertise and her kindness. read more

Booking Ohana Events day-of package wedding planner package was one of the BEST decisions we made for our wedding on October 15, 2022 in Chicago at the Sculpture Garden at Bridgeport Art Center. When we first got engaged, everyone had the same advice: HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER. We had calls with about 7 different planning companies, but we immediately connected with Danielle. While our package didn't start until 3 months before our wedding, Danielle was incredibly responsive and helpful. She gave her thoughtful POV on our vendor questions and was quick to help with anything we needed. 3 months out we started working with Mara!! Mara was incredibly, calm, confident and helpful our entire process. She was so on top of communication with all vendors, she made me feel so sure everything was covered. When I had concerns about some of the decor one week out, Mara jumped into action and got in touch with all vendors, formulated a plan and took all the stress away. She was incredibly responsive, easy to work with and such a joy. I was COMPLETELY STRESS-FREE on wedding day and I believe a lot of that has to do with Mara running the show. HIGHLY recommend working with Ohana Events for your wedding - they are experts, they are incredibly helpful and above all, they are GOOD, KIND HUMANS. We're so grateful they helped make all of our wedding dreams come true! read more

Danielle is a tried and true wedding planner! It is in her soul :) We needed a day of wedding planner and while I searched around in 2019 I kept hitting a wall because many other planners weren't willing to budge on their packages but Danielle was willing to work with me. Despite COVID-19, she stayed in touch and remained the most optimistic. She managed everything the day of and beforehand like a pro, because she is a pro. Despite the fact that I know she has planned hundreds of weddings--she still brought a personal touch, a sincere smile, and a burst of energy on our wedding day. She made sure we were OK the entire day of the wedding and leading up to the big day. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Danielle/Ohana Events because she is someone who loves what she does, does it extremely well, and so she is the woman you want around you on your wedding day. She paid attention to every detail and did it with care, like an old friend. Thank you so much Danielle/Ohana Events. You were a part of our very special and momentous day and we will never forget the dance you did to make our daughter smile at the camera! Sincerely, Shana and Reggie read more

When our wedding plans changed due to COVID, we were stressed, overwhelmed and didn't even know where to begin. Then we met Danielle and Emily and our minds were IMMEDIATELY put at ease. As someone who is also V organized, I thought I would never meet someone who met my standards. BOY was I wrong! From the start, Danielle and Emily asked us all the right questions, put together a game plan and gladly took over all of the things that were stressing us out. Not only that, but they were SO nice, approachable and we actually wanted to stay on our Zoom call with them LONGER than 2 hours! They went above and beyond in every aspect of their service and never made us feel annoying for all the questions we had. The day of our wedding they showed up early, coordinated everything with our vendors, set up last minute things and handled any hiccups (I honestly don't even know if there were any). If you are looking for a wedding planner in the Chicago area, PLEASE hire Danielle and Emily. I seriously cannot say enough how wonderful they were - not just at getting stuff done and staying organized, but at making us feel so loved on our big day! read more

Do yourself a favor and BOOK WITH OHANA!! We went back and forth about having a day-of coordinator and I am SO thankful that in the end we decided to have one! We first met Rachel when we were looking at venues and although we didn't love the venue she worked at, we couldn't get Rachel out of our head! From our very first impression she was SO put together and organized and knew everything there is to know about a wedding!! We were thrilled to learn she also did wedding planning and we decided to hire her as our day-of coordinator! She was an absolutely incredible resource for us throughout our wedding planning process whenever we needed advice or vendor recommendations. She especially went above and beyond helping us navigate changing our wedding plans during the pandemic! I'll never forget coming home to an Ohana events card with a cheerful message encouraging us when we had to postpone our wedding, it was the kindest gesture. Rachel put together the most detailed timeline for our day and then on our actual wedding day Danielle was there to make sure it all ran seamlessly!! Danielle was absolutely incredible on our wedding day, making sure things were on time and people were in the right places! She was SO sweet to all our guests (I know in the past sometimes I've seen wedding planners get a bad reputation with the guests because they are too pushy, but let me assure you that Danielle is SO kind and genuine and would never make your guests feel uncomfortable). She went above and beyond on our actual day and the times she saved the day included (but were not limited) to the following: scrubbing mud out of my wedding dress minutes before I walked down the aisle, sending her assistant to go get eyelash glue when I needed it, sewing my wedding dress sleeve mid reception (yep she had her own little sewing kit), supplying me and my bridesmaids with spray on deodorant whenever we needed it and lastly packing up everything at the end of the night and making sure my husband and I had all our belongings. THOSE REASONS are why it is SO beneficial to have a day of coordinator! Danielle truly had everything I could possibly need and it was so wonderful to have a go-to person on my wedding day so that I didn't have to bother my mom or someone in my bridal party!! I will forever appreciate those day-saving acts of kindness/preparedness. Overall I cannot recommend Ohana events enough!! My sister has already booked them for her wedding in the spring- that is how much we love and trust them!! THANK YOU OHANA!!!! read more

Ohana Events - Here's us with Danielle! - Wedding Planning Near Me

Everything about my wedding was perfect.  Exactly what I wanted.  All of the vendors went above and beyond to make my and Nick's day special.  The venue was beautiful and all of the staff were helpful and courteous.  The food was amazing.  The DJ played everything I wanted and nothing I didn't, and made great music choices guided by my instructions.  The florist executed my vision beautifully in the centerpieces and my bouquet.  The cake was delicious and beautiful.  The violinist made my walk down the aisle even more magical.  My hair and makeup team truly made me and my bridesmaids look our best, and the dress fit perfectly and was everything I could hope for. And I wouldn't have had the first clue where to find any of them without Danielle.  She was the first one I hired, and she was with me through my entire year of planning this wonderful event that I will remember for the rest of my life.  I can't sing her praises highly enough! read more

We are so lucky to have worked with Danielle at Ohana Events! We reached out to Danielle about our destination wedding about 10 months before our wedding date. We knew that we were going to need a lot of help planning a wedding without ever seeing the destination (Playa Del Carmen, Mexico) and planning the biggest and best days of our lives! Danielle stepped up to make sure that every detail we could think of and beyond was perfected for our wedding day! She was there to make the whole process go smoothly from planning vendors to the day of and so on. We are so impressed with how organized and knowledgeable she was with planning a wedding so far away but she helped us tremendously! Danielle was able to keep us on track with hiring vendors, finishing timelines for events and meeting budget. She is amazing at what she does and we couldn't have done it without her! Five stars! read more

Danielle and her team were awful. I recommend spending your money elsewhere. I have never dealt with people so incompetent in my life. Danielle gave us a massive discount to be our day of wedding planner and it was a complete disaster. I'm going to give a few examples of the disaster of a coordinator she was or else this would be a really long review. Half of the time she was nowhere to be found( when my reception outfit when missing, when snacks where put in the wrong room, etc.) She lied about things she did (ie she claimed she switched up my lighting because she didn't like it, yet it was the same color that the decorator had texted me pictures if after set up) She was completely incompetent at small tasks: She didn't take the flip flops out to the dance floor She didn't set up our video booth correctly (didn't plug in the mic which was on the direction sheet) and rendered our video memories useless. She let random people put shitty decorations around our cake that we had never approved She spent the last few hours of our wedding being sad and bringing attention to her moping. She prided herself on being vigilant of the gift table, yet it was my family members that took the box up because she forgot to take it up at the time I asked her to. I honestly felt like it was a waste of 1000 dollars and that my friends/family ended up doing 90% of the tasks I had asked her to do. A good chunk of our friends also kept mentioning what a disaster she was. The saddest part of it all is that she thought she did a great job (which she did not) and since she enjoyed herself that it was okay. She also thought it was appropriat to ask our photographers for our password locked photos to post on instagram, when it specifically said that she couldn't do that in ouR contract. I would run from this sham of a business. read more

SAY YES to working with Danielle!! I can't say enough how supportive, intelligent and helpful Danielle and her team are. She knows the industry through and through. In a situation where you don't know what you don't know, Danielle KNOWS what's normal and what's not and will help you make decisions that fit your desires. There were so many times I thought "I guess that's just a wedding fee" and Danielle was quick to explain if it normal/expected or something we should negotiate/change with vendors. She has great relationships with many, many Chicago vendors who equally adore her which made the whole process of planning enjoyable with very minimal stress. She's incredibly detailed and thorough with every step. She's hands-on and willing to help not only via email and her detailed documents (wedding timeline, venue comparison sheet, 3 month to do list, 1 month to do list, tipping etiquette etc.), but also in person to visit venues, have a timeline meeting, and food tastings. Investing in Danielle was the best money we spent on our wedding and I would do it 100 times over again. read more

Easily the best money we spent on our entire wedding. If anything went wrong at our wedding (which was a month ago) we still don't know about it because Rachel HANDLED.HER.BUSINESS. She's an absolute boss. We hired Ohana as a "day-of" coordinator about a month before our wedding because we were starting to feel overwhelmed by the stress and the details. Within a day of booking, Rachel came to our apartment and sat down with us for several hours to get to know us and learn about our vision. From there, she was armed with all of the information she needed to take over all of the worrying. She was amazing. I HIGHLY recommend Ohana. I want Rachel to plan every day of my life. She's amazing. read more

We're so glad we had Danielle to coordinate our wedding! About three months before our date, she met with us to go through a laundry list of questions covering what we wanted to include in our day (ie. did we want father/daughter dance? Inside or outside ceremony? Champagne toast or skip? etc). There are so many details with planning, and Danielle helped us get in front of things. She was also a great resource to ask what is typical for x,y, z (like if we should close the bar at dinner, what the ring bearer should hold down the aisle, who and average range to tip). She also encouraged us overall to make decisions based on what felt most us, which was much appreciated in the dizzying process. Then closer to the wedding, she put together a super thorough timeline down to the minute, including pre-wedding activities (like ordering brunch and specifying when each party needed to leave for the venue). And most importantly, communicated with all the vendors and the wedding party to keep our agenda moving smoothly. Thank you for holding it all together so we could blissfully enjoy our day! read more

Where do I start? We hired Ohana back in 2019 for their "Month Of" package to assist us both day-of and in the final weeks leading up to our planned June 2020 wedding. Then Covid happened. We were heartbroken to cancel our June date, but eventually settled on January 2021, assuming the world would be in a better state by then. Ohana stayed on with us, and Danielle and her team quickly shifted gears to help us navigate a new world. As it turned out, the world was not in a better state come January, but we decided to move forward with a now radically different (and much smaller), 3rd version of our wedding. Danielle and her team didn't flinch when we shifted to a completely new venue with weeks to spare. The Ohana team helped us swap out vendors, change rental orders, and shift timelines, all while staying on budget and navigating changing Covid guidelines. When our day finally came, Danielle was with us morning to night to make sure everything ran seamlessly. It was a perfect day. She made sure I did not have to worry about a single thing, and I had the time of my life. To say they went above and beyond would be a massive understatement. Hiring Ohana was hands down the best money we spent through our crazy wedding journey. I cannot recommend them enough! read more